On Guard
by TornadoWeirdo
Summary: What do the Xiaolin Warriors find when they go to the great mountains of Peru? And in the meantime, is the enemy planning something that could actually pose a threat?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

><p>High up in the sky, the Xiaolin monks were being whisked along on the back of Dojo, questing for yet another Shen Gong Wu artifact. As they neared their destination, they made a dive through some rain clouds and swooped over a stretch of mountainous land far below. Despite everyone getting wet, it was a sight to see.<p>

* * *

><p>A whistle instantly emitted from Clay. "Man Rai, you seriously never been to Peru? Gorgeous place I gotta say."<p>

"Such mighty mountains…" Omi was spellbound. Kimiko took a quick picture with her phone's camera that made the little guy jump.

"What, is it some sort of 'crime' if I haven't?" Raimundo jested.

"Well, no I – "

"That's like me calling you out for not going to – I dunno – Montana! Huh, when you see how big Brazil is you can't be surprised by someone like me having never – "

Dojo suddenly interrupted Rai's rambling. "Let's stay focused, warriors! Help me find a good landing spot so we can get that Brace!"

Raimundo lowered his eyebrows at the reptile, still suspended in mid-sentence.

"Ah, right, the Brace. Okay then…" Kimiko took out the Shen Gong Wu Scroll and opened it up. "So, what does this thing do?"

Omi read the Chinese scripting alongside an image of a man having a conversation with another. "It is supposed to let you speak in any language. Any language in the whole entire world!"

Kim huffed. "Okay… THAT would've been useful…"

"Interesting. And how exactly would it play a part in all the fighting?" Raimundo wanted to know.

Dojo tried thinking in the same vein as the mysterious mind of Dashi. "Uh, well, I'd say it'd make it much easier to trash-talk to your foreign opponent. You know, for 'intimidating' them so to speak."

One could tell by Rai's expression that he was not convinced. "You serious?"

"…Maybe."

"Well whatever the case – " Clay intervened, "Dodge, I'd say a fine place to land would be over on that flat hill there; then we can flush it out."

"Hmm, yeah, perfect! Thank _you_ Clay." With that Dojo made a smooth descent toward his newfound destination.

* * *

><p>After making their landing, the monks spread out to search in the surrounding rainforest. While Raimundo and Clay set out toward some low foliage, Kimiko was carrying Dojo up on her head so that he could possibly smell the Baberu Brace with less trouble.<p>

"This helping at all Dojo?" Kim proceeded to ask.

"Eh… not… quite," the dragon replied as he attempted to stretch out and heighten his senses. "It's _gotta_ be in this general area though… I know it."

"KIMIKO! DOJO! Wait for me!" echoed a high-pitched voice. Omi pitter-pattered across the forest floor and entered the scene breathlessly. "I had nearly lost you two!"

"Sorry – we thought you were with the guys." Kimiko turned to him with a weary look.

"No, no I was not." Omi had his hands on his knees, panting. "I suppose I was immersed in the ENVIRONMENT and nobody noticed." As he said so, a falcon suddenly appeared on a tree branch hanging overhead.

"Well Omi, you just gotta be aware of WHERE we are."

"Ya need to stick with a buddy too," Dojo proposed. "Can't afford getting lost here, what with all the overgrowth and bugs and jungle beasts…"

That's when the falcon swooped down and plucked the snake-sized dragon right off Kim's head. The bird's freshly picked prey burst into a bloodcurdling scream, which succeeded at scaring other feathery fowl out of the trees.

* * *

><p>At the base of the big, lush green hill, Clay found himself "pricking" his ears and standing upright.<p>

"What was that?"

Raimundo digressed from his Wu hunt as well. "Dragon Dude?"

"Sounds like it's comin' from up there," Clay gathered, glancing up the cliffside. Rai climbed onto the rock the cowboy was looking out from. "Let's go then," he sighed.

* * *

><p>"HEY!" Kimiko clamped both hands onto her hair in shock.<p>

Omi's quick eye spotted the falcon as it flew off. "You, bird! Let go of Dojo!" He went ahead and pursued it higher up into the forest. Kim blew away strands of hair in her face before doing the same thing.

Meanwhile a dizzy and disoriented Dojo was being whisked above the trees at the speed of sound. "HELP – " His capturer firmed its grip on him as it spiraled upward toward an odd-looking stone temple hidden underneath some tree branches. It was aiming to land on a nest that had been situated on the edge of the temple's roof.

But the dangling "meal" had had enough of this. "Erf… " He twisted around, leaned forward, and chomped on the falcon's leg, causing the predator to screech. It lost control and skewed down toward the building's front, where a lone pillar stood, then knocked over some pyramid-shaped container that sat on it, letting it crack open as it hit the ground. Fortunately the falcon weakened its grip trying to regain its bearings, and Dojo wiggled out to make contact with the hard stone plateau. On came the thud, and on the reptile rolled before stopping flat on his back.

"Ooo-hoo-hoo." He could only lie there and groan.

Nevertheless, even with that small mishap having taken place, Dojo's bird friend returned from the air, soaring back to grab dinner. Yet unexpectedly, it changed its mind at the last minute and made a sharp turn out of the area as if in fear.

Dojo lifted his woozy head up and looked around. His eyes bugged and he too scurried away to safety.

* * *

><p>Omi was just scuttling up the steps to the temple when he saw he was about to reach the top. "KIMIKO! He must be up here!" hollered the monk. In the meantime, Kim was a little too far behind for Omi's tastes. "Yeah, I'm… coming!" she breathed.<p>

As his feet passed the last step, Omi peered ahead at the temple entrance. The first thing he saw was an item that curiously resembled a brace, with broken shards of rock surrounding it at the foot of a pillar.

"Ah-hah!"

Kimiko soon showed up behind him, out of breath.

"Kimiko, look! There is the Shen Gong Wu! How… _fortunate_!" Omi beamed.

The tired monk stared at it in surprise. "Uh, _huh_."

Then they both noticed Dojo poking his head out from a chunk of rubble further ahead. "Guys…"

"And there YOU are, Dojo!" Omi blissfully continued.

But he didn't shift his gaze to the right as Kimiko did, where there was a stomping sound being heard coming out of the nearby bushes. Whatever was making the noise seemed to have been searching for something, and only when it walked out into the open did Omi take heed. And boy, did he take heed.

Above him towered a large brown creature, blocking the sunlight. It was cycloptic, possessing only a single orange eye with a cream-colored pupil; and its crocodilian snout had long pits embedded in each side, along with two brown bottom teeth. Its chest and shoulders were wide, carrying thick, muscular arms; yet despite a long body its legs stood short and bent forward, slumping the creature's posture. It was still standing quite tall – eight feet to be exact.

Omi stopped staring and started speaking. "Um, you are in our way. Please step aside so we may acquire the Brace."

With the little monk's "distraction," Kimiko took the opportunity to sneak over and swipe the Wu from the broken container. But the creature turned around and snarled at her.

"Yikes!"

"No, no, _THAT_ is what we want!" exclaimed Omi. "If you do not let us have it, we will be forced to use force!"

The monster, however, began charging toward Kimiko, unmoved by his plea. But as she prepared herself to fight, it snatched the Brace away instead.

"Hey, c'mon!" Kim objected. It turned its dark striped back to her, holding the artifact close.

Dojo finally sucked it up and slithered forward from his hiding place, flexing sharp claws. "Am I going to have to 'reason' with him… the old-fashioned way?" The beast promptly stared down at the small dragon and let out some jarbled chirps.

"…Because I _WILL_," he continued in hesitation, somewhat offput by such gibberish.

But then it, along with Dojo, Kimiko, and Omi, drew their attention to the other sounds of panting and trodding on stone. Raimundo and Clay soon appeared, tuckered out from their stair climbing.

"Thanks for helping us find you with DOJO's voice," sputtered Rai sarcastically. "What's going… on?" He gazed up at the Brace – which was in the hands of some brown monster.

"Whoa Nelly…" Clay finished what his pal had started. "Need I ask what in blazes that thing is?"

"It appears to be a reptile-like animal," Omi answered broadly, "and it is NOT letting us have the Baberu Brace!"

"Great input there," said Kimiko. "Only now we wanna get the Wu without hurting precious wildlife."

"…Obá… um bemarun!" came an exclamation from the still awe-struck Raimundo. He started to make his way over to the creature.

"Uh, Rai, that may not be the best idea," cautioned Clay. "Looks like it could snap you in half."

"I know what I'm doing," the Brazilian replied as if he was being nagged. He slowly proceeded up to the "bemarun" and then held out his right hand. The beast looked down at it with its single eye.

"Vamos! Estenda a sua mão."

After a moment of suspenseful silence, it responded by raising its left arm.

"Eh, bom o bastante." Rai gleefully took hold of the giant brown hand with his left one and shook it, with the creature just standing there puzzling.

"Nunca pensei que eu veria um de _VOCÊS_…"

"...Ya wanna fill us in a little on what you're doing, here?" suggested Kim in a joking manner.

"Ah, sorry," Rai chuckled. He glanced up at the animal. "This, you see right in front of your very eyes, is a bemarun."

"A whozawhat now?" Dojo cut in.

"A mythological beast or something along those lines. I… pretty much obsessed over these things when I was little – 'round five or so."

"So, it's sorta like one o' your 'childhood fantasies come true' then," Clay surmised in fascination. "Heh – frankly I was expecting more of a 'El Chupacabra' speak outta this."

"El Chupacabra's, let's say, 'ridiculous.'" Rai reached up and patted the bemarun's bulky upper arm. "But this guy's the real deal; I just can't believe I forgot all those stories for so long and then WHAM! Here's the proof."

Dojo put his hand under his chin. "Hmm… and I take it you thought of dragons the same way."

"Uh, not really – I always had a hunch _you_ little guys were real… being sighted so much in Asia and all that."

"…I see."

After a brief pause for thought, Omi popped a legitimate question. "So… are we going to try and retrieve the Shen Gong Wu from it?"

"…If this thing's gonna give us trouble, then we might need to rough him up a bit," Clay proposed with uncertainty. "Otherwise we all came here for nothin'."

"No-no-no, hold up dude," Raimundo began. "We can get him to hand it over. …In fact, we can bring him along with us!"

Kimiko crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking?"

"Yeah, we'll take him back to the temple and show him around! Maybe even keep him!"

"As a, pet?" Omi looked confused.

"Ahem – kiddo, Master Fung doesn't take kindly to pets, especially BIG pets," claimed Dojo, unimpressed by the idea. "Sorry to say, but that's the way it is."

Rai looked up at the sky, exasperated. "Ah COME ON! It shouldn't be a big deal! Besides, who's the leader here?" He pointed to himself.

"Not me…" mumbled Omi.

"…Yeah. And I think me, and you guys, can handle a pet, whatever size it is. Hey, we had dinosaurs ya know!"

"_Only_ after we shrunk 'em," clarified Clay.

"…And then they answered the 'call of nature' by eating themselves," Kim maintained grimly.

Omi scrunched his mouth. "Oops."

"Well that's cuz they were too SMALL to be noticed," Rai pointed out. "And we're not ignoring a bear-sized animal. So let's just see how this plays out. C'mon Dojo."

Dojo grimaced. "Fine." He swelled up to his full forty feet. The bemarun stared up at him and almost dropped the Baberu Brace it was holding, with an even greater sense of wonderment than before.

"…Alrighty then." Kimiko climbed up onto the now-giant dragon with Clay shrugging and following suit. Omi, meanwhile, looked back at Raimundo and the creature as he was boarding.

"Here, it's okay! He's just our friend-slash-transportation." Rai pulled gently on the bemarun's left arm, which made the beast decide to follow him. He then led it onto Dojo's back by the hand and, after a little adjustment effort, they all took off into the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>And there is the first chapter. Hooray to something being accomplished!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

><p>"I… cannot bring myself to this," began a nettled Master Fung as he stood amongst the monks and the bemarun in the main hall. "Taking from its home a giant creature … which we know nothing about… here to domesticate? Raimundo… we have enough to worry about as it is."<p>

Dojo shrugged, shook his head, and lay back on his tree branch. "I tried to tell him. And it was hard enough getting that thing to fork over the BRACE just now. Yeesh."

Raimundo ignored the stuck-up dragon. "Okay look, I knew this wasn't exactly something you'd want in the 'sacred temple,' but can't we have a little more companionship going on? Bemarun are about as mystical as they get anyway."

Dojo looked away and flung a wrist at him.

"Didn't you mention something about responsibility too?" Omi brought up.

"Oh, and that. Having a pet would also help us with our… responsible-ness."

Fung raised his eyebrows. "Responsible? Oh? Like with the miniature dinosaurs?"

"Yeah, we went through the dinosaurs," Kimiko stated impatiently. "But this time'll be different and yadda-yadda…"

"YES, that's right," Rai affirmed.

"I'm sorry, the answer is no. We cannot afford an animal running about and making all sorts of mischief! Despite how tame you believe it to be. I'm afraid you are going to have to take it back to Peru."

Raimundo's look turned into one of disappointment and exhaust. "What? No…"

Clay then scratched the side of his head in thought. "Hey Master Fung, if this don't work out, at least have this be-ma-run stay here a bit? We don't have to make a second Peru trip in one day."

Omi agreed enthusiastically. "Yes. We are very tired. And we _could_ learn a lot about this creature."

"That's true!" Rai burst with more persistence.

Master Fung glared down in intense thought for a time. "Hmm. If I understand it, I believe Dojo will not be willing to fly. Will you Dojo?"

"Eh, not right now," the green dragon replied as he scratched at his chest scales. "Later, but not now – if it's okay."

"…All right. The 'bemarun' can stay for the night, but you all must take it back first thing tomorrow. Are we clear on that?"

"Yes Master Fung," answered the four monks out of unison.

"Good. Now then, let's see what we can do for you." The Master walked up to the tall bemarun creature, and it gave him an inquisitive look.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, during the heat of day, a small mysterious bird was seen flying down toward the house of Jack Spicer. It approached a window overlooking the basement-lair, and did not hesitate to peck at it with all its might.<p>

The "evil genius," however, was sound asleep on his worktable, with machine parts and tools and wadded-up papers sprawled out around him. Apparently he had been working pretty hard the last several hours.

"Ahhhwww!" The bird wouldn't stand there waiting for Jack to get up and as such it broke through the glass with its beak.

Jack rolled his head over to the side slightly, his slobbery left cheek pressed against the table. "Eh-huh?" His eyes reluctantly opened to some bothersome flapping noise, and then he eventually came to see a pair of dirty parrot feet standing on his blueprints.

"Ah!" The redhead jerked himself upright in his chair at the sight of "Little Jack."

"What're _YOU_ doing here? …What happened to my window?"

The parrot squawked, "Message from Hannibal Bean! Message, eee-YA!"

"Hannibal?" Jack turned from panicked to surprised.

"Yah." The parrot drew closer. "He needs YOU to fetch a WU."

"Wait, really? Why?"

"Certain reasons. Hear of the Baberu Brace? …Oooh, but you be slacking."

"…I'm sorry, _SLACKING?_" Peeved, Jack stood up from his chair. "Look around Ying-Ying! I've been trying to build a super-durable robot suit the past few days! To GET more Wu! Now wouldja leave me alone?"

"Wuya sensed the Brace this morning. You did squat."

"I DIDN'T DO SQUA-" the mechanic stopped himself. He _had_ been sleeping right then. "Ooh. Agh, look, I'm tired, I've stayed up late to get this thing done, and I JUST wanna rest now." He sat back down.

The Ying-Ying Bird's parrot feathers got ruffled. "CA-AHHH! NO!" It took a furious swipe at Jack, who shrieked and shot his head back reactively.

"Hannibal needs the Brace ASAP. You go get it back NOW. Bring it to the rebuilding of Greensgate Power Plant, South Carolina!"

"A power plant? What? What's HB doing there?"

"Hannibal rewards you with direct connection to revolutionary fuel! He must talk to immigrants first!"

"_REVOLUTIONARY_ fuel? I don't buy it. Unless it involves Z5…"

"Go! Now!" Ying-Ying cawed. "Or I cut you up into little meat chunks and splatter them all over the floor!"

Jack sat still and nervously joked, "…Heh, we wouldn't want THAT, now would we?"

"Nope."

"O-kay then, I'll see if I can finish my suit and, be on my way." He flinched as the Ying-Ying Bird rose up to nag him some more, but instead it spread its wings and flew nonchalantly out through the other closed window, leaving Jack to stare down at a new mess of broken glass.

* * *

><p>It was soon time for lunch at the Xiaolin Temple, and the bemarun knew this all too well as it licked the air with its forked, teal-colored tongue. The giant beast was sitting at the outside dining table, and something definitely smelled good.<p>

"Got the teriyaki loaf!" Clay walked out on the porch proudly carrying a plate of large steaming meat. "Hey, ya hungry big fella?"

The bemarun continued to smack its mouth in earnest.

"Well here ya are." The cowboy set the plate down in front of it. "Now I don't mind sharin' some of the cut, AT LEAST some."

Soon enough the other monks came to lay out the rest of the spread. The "big fella" watched as tea, rice, vegetables, fruit, chicken, and egg rolls were all placed appropriately. And quick as a flash everyone took a seat around the table, ready to dine.

"… What're you doing?" Raimundo noticed the bemarun just staring at him as he stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"Yeah, come on, feel free to eat!" said Clay, his own food hole filled to the brim.

"Maybe he doesn't _like_ the food," Omi thought aloud.

Kimiko swallowed before speaking and pointed her fork. "That's a possibility."

"Well, anyway," Omi resumed, "Master, those stolen Shen Gong Wu? I believe we can retrieve them without having to win Showdowns."

"And how so?" the Master inquired, sipping his tea. "By stealing them back?"

"Yes… NO. I mean… yes, the act of theft is immoral. But if we can infiltrate Chase's lair without EVER being seen, then we may be able to find the Wu and bring them back where they belong. The same for Jack Spicer."

"By the way, where WAS that little doofus?" wondered Kim. Clay shrugged and made a sound through his chewed food that could be made out as an "I don't know."

Raimundo set down his cup. "Well Omi, heh, you're kinda pointing out the obvious. But yeah, we'd be stealing from thieves themselves, so I don't see the 'immorality' there."

"We have been through this before," stated the Master. "You must win Shen Gong Wu fairly, and _not_ stoop to the level of criminals. Monks in the Xiaolin Arts know this: respecting your enemy."

"But don't forget an eye for an eye!" Dojo mentioned atop Master Fung's head.

"Dojo…"

"I know… sorry."

That's when the two heard the bemarun busily cutting its teriyaki meat loaf with its brown claws. After slicing every morsel into even tinier morsels, it proceeded to take a handful of the mush and chomp upon it, making quite a mess. Everyone's eyes widened.

"…My appetite, has just decreased… a little." Omi lowered his silverware and looked at the others.

"Uhhh… yeah…" Dojo tightened up around Master Fung's shoulders. "Someone can, uh, give it a napkin. Please."

"Here." Raimundo promptly grabbed the bemarun's napkin and lifted it up. "Use this."

When the creature did choose to take the table linen, it placed it on its tongue and just chewed it like a cow and cud. As Rai leaned back baffled, Kimiko covered her forehead with her hand. "Oh for crying out loud…"

Clay was watching the creature from the right. He was amused by it somehow. "Ha-ha-ha. Ooh… that's not what you do! Master Fung, something's tellin' me we shouldn't have let the 'dog' sit at the table."

As he said so, the bemarun wolfed down the last of the meat loaf, its head rested firmly on the plate.

"Indeed Clay." The Master turned his attention to Raimundo.

Rai looked back at him questioningly with his mouth full, shaking his head at the same time. "Wasn't MY idea," he muffled.

* * *

><p>After lunch had gone by, the monks commenced with their regular chores around the temple grounds – or at least tried to settle on who was doing what. Clay already set to work cleaning the windows while whistling along inside their special "decision-making room."<p>

"Okay, so Kimiko, you can sweep up the halls this time, Omi can take care of the birds, and I'll go ahead and see if I can't fix those dumb axe pivots on the training course," Rai explained, holding up a list of chores.

"And is that _ALL_ you're gonna do?" Kim probed as she grabbed a broom that was leaning against the wall.

"I'll also be working on anything else that's broken; don't worry…"

"Yes! Thank you Raimundo for giving me the easiest job!" Omi smiled deviously.

Rai looked over at the satisfied monk as he picked up a bag of birdseed and a scrub-brush. "No problem. See Kim, HE's not complaining."

"Like I was," mumbled the "Japanesian." "Ho hum…" She looked down at the dustpan in her hand, but then stared back up at Rai in confusion.

"…What?"

"Uh, where's the bemarun?"

Raimundo shot glances right, left, and behind. "I thought he was right here! Clay, what happened?"

"Say what now?" The cowboy was interrupted from his duties.

"The bemarun! What happened to him?"

"…Pardon me," began Clay from high up on a ladder, "I've been washin' this window pane the whole time; I wouldn't know."

"Okay… Omi! Hey, Omi! How'd he get away?"

Omi was just making his exit down the hall when he stopped dead in his tracks and turned around hesitantly. "Uhhh… I am… not sure."

"Well we need to find him!" Rai proceeded to dash past the monk. "You can feed the birds later, come on!"

"All… right?" Omi continued standing there as he watched Kimiko come up behind him, similarly uncertain of what to make of this.

* * *

><p>Outside at the fountain, Dojo was busy reading a Chinese novel. "Hee-hee-hee…" he giggled to himself. "What a choice of names. 'Rong'…"<p>

"DOJO!"

The green dragon both leaped and let out a shriek, nearly tumbling backward into the fountain's waters. Raimundo and Kimiko (and Omi, who was lugging along his bag of birdseed) ran up to him while he regained his balance.

"Please, do _NOT_ do that. I'm kind of jumpy right now."

"Yeah, 'many pardons,' but Brownsaur's on the loose," Raimundo explained. "You seen him?"

Kimiko looked over. "Brownsaur huh?"

"His new nickname."

"…Gotcha."

"No, I haven't seen the 'brownsaur,' as you call it," answered Dojo. "What's the problem?"

"If Master Fung sees him wrecking stuff we'll probably be getting in trouble for bringing him here in the first place. 'We' as in 'me.'"

"Well, that's not MY problem then." The dragon yanked open his book and seemed to be literally burying himself in it.

Rai had just about had it with Dojo's snarkiness, so he then decided to test his patience. "Hey, you got the nose for Shen Gong Wu, and you can't even track down a giant pet? Gimme a break!"

To that Dojo slammed the book. "Okay, OKAY; no need to insult a crotchety old 'gecko's' most exquisite sense. Let me up."

"Gladly!" Raimundo grinned a happy grin and seized the reptile by the throat. As he was being hauled away like game, Dojo told Omi: "You can skip out on feeding the birds, kid."

Kim casually strolled by the small monk, just humming along.

The Dragon of the Water did not bother to move, nor change his contemplative yet flustered face. "Yes. I suppose I can carry this huge bag back without it having purpose out here."

* * *

><p>So, Raimundo was making Dojo search for the lost bemarun against his will around the temple grounds, which was sure to cause a few issues.<p>

"Hey Brownsaur! Where are you?"

"He's not gonna respond, not knowing his name and all."

"Who cares? He'll hear my voice."

"Not the same thing."

"Shut up."

While the ruckus the two made was bouncing off the walls of the buildings, Kimiko crept away to get back to her fun task of sweeping every floor. She only went so far before she unwittingly crossed paths with Master Fung by the porch.

"Kimiko! Isn't it time for you to be doing your chores?" The Master was just in the middle of sketching a picture of a tiger in the grass.

"I-I know; I'm getting to it. Right about now." Kim clasped her hands together and glanced around.

"Hmm." The old monk took her fidgety actions into account. "Is something the matter?"

"OH no, nothing much."

"…Do you know the whereabouts of the creature?"

She was hoping he wouldn't ask that. But now she had to spill it. "Ahh… no."

Master Fung cocked one side of his mustache. "Then we should go find it."

"Yeah, but don't be _TOO_ angry if, by chance, it breaks something," Kim requested, imagining the worst scenario.

The Master put down his pen and paper and arose, tickled by the thought. "Well Kimiko, I assure you I will not be 'seething with rage' – not the kind you might be thinking of."

"Ha, that's great then… thanks. 'Kay. Guess I'll be going… "

Just then the pair heard a shout. It sounded stunned, horrified, and furious all at once, and it was coming from the monks' resting quarters.

"…Second time today," Kim reported. Her eyes gave Fung a sense of enlightenment.

* * *

><p>"NO, put that down! You're shredding up Ninja Fred!"<p>

The bemarun had been found, but it was sitting in the Shoku Warrior's cubicle… chewing on the stuffing it had ripped out of his teddy bear.

Dojo's vociferation was uncalled for. "Oh SWEET karma!"

"I'm warning you dude." Raimundo raised a fist, ready to the bop the pest off his shoulder.

"All right, I'll stop," trembled Dojo – trembling because he could barely conceal his laughter.

"Yeah, you'd better." Rai smirked in an irate fashion and went back to business. "Now come on. Hand it over."

Unfortunately, the creature could not understand. It merely desisted from moving the cotton around in its jaws, keeping its eye fixed on the boy.

Rai groaned. "You're not making this easy. Now give it to me, or I'll have to take it."

The beast glimpsed down at the mangled bear, but went back to chewing.

"Here we go; I'm taking it." The monk began moving in to try and pry out his beloved stuffed animal by means of reluctant force.

A voice, however, came in without warning and stopped him. "Taking what?"

He and Dojo looked back to discover Kim standing right behind them.

"Oh, just Ninja Fred… who probably needs some new stitches," Raimundo explained, rather composed now.

Kimiko peeked over his shoulder. She started cracking up.

"It isn't that funny," he responded apathetically.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha!" Amidst her rising laughter Dojo threw in a few cackles of his own before clamping his mouth shut. Rai straightened his face and leaned his hand against the doorway post. The bemarun was watching this, unresponsive.

"Oh-hoh MAN!" The Fire monk slapped her knee. "You know, that could be a kind of omen Rai! Growing up? Living responsibly?"

"Sure, that's it." Raimundo turned and posed to tackle her. "It could also be an omen where I bury your head in the wall!"

"Ooo, nice one," she snickered. "Okay – if ya say so, then bring it! Flaunt some o' that 'machismo!'"

But then all of a sudden the bemarun scrambled up and hightailed it past everybody.

"Whoa!"

"Hey!"

It still had Ninja Fred.

"Great going you two," said Dojo, looking in the bandit's direction.

His head also pivoted, Raimundo tossed the yelping dragon off of him.

* * *

><p>The hulking monster was trudging down the hallways as fast as it could, unwilling to give up its "food." It stopped at one point to choose which of two paths to take, yet it soon escaped to the outdoors and kept on running in its search for a hiding place.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Clay, who had remained in a sing-song mood after all this time, emerged from the temple cache carrying a soapy bucket and a couple of dripping washcloths. "Oh I'm reachin' the edge… the edge of the world… no sunset to see me… no mountains a-pearl – "<p>

His ditty came to an abrupt end when the cowboy saw the bemarun bulleting across his view from the alley.

Then Clay heard distant yelling voices telling the beast to stop. He exhaled deeply and set his equipment down; the tranquility of the day would have to be put on hold.

* * *

><p>Omi was also found outside, in the garden, scrubbing the birdbath diligently to make it sparkle with cleanliness. Before he could look, two legs rushed by. Although he sprang up his head, he didn't bother scanning his surroundings and got back to work. But then the distracting sounds of more feet came, and the Water monk rotated around and noticed Raimundo and Kimiko on the move. He wasn't going to take part in this – not again.<p>

* * *

><p>Eventually, the panicky bemarun halted in the wide-open space of the stone training grounds. "Can't just keep running!" Rai called. It peered over and faced its pursuers in a nervous stance, the teddy bear held firmly in hand. Jutting its neck backward, it made a reverberating guttural noise.<p>

Raimundo approached the creature curiously, and it stepped back. When it attempted to turn and take flight once more he shouted "Shoku Nova, Wind!" and with a thrust of his arms he grappled it in a small cyclone, effectively catching it off guard.

However, the monster refused to give up. It slowly but surely got on its hands and knees and pressed on against the current.

"…Want me to go ahead and set it on fire?" questioned the Fire Dragon as she stepped up.

"Of course not!" the Dragon of Wind replied over the blowing air. "All I'm doing is _slowly_ reeling him in."

But it was still taking an awfully long time, since the bemarun now had its claws gripped onto the stone tiles. Rai quickly increased the wind power by clenching his fists, and teeth, tight.

Yet this tug-of-war was getting nowhere, and it was only until someone else yelled "Wudai Crater Earth!" that the bemarun loosened its grip while simultaneously feeling a quake in the ground. It swiveled its head side to side when the ground it stood upon tilted upward at an angle, causing it to tumble down right in front of Raimundo. It lay there in defeat, staring blankly as he took Ninja Fred from it, with Kimiko, Clay, and even Master Fung gathering around.

* * *

><p>That night, the four monks were commencing their same old bedtime routine, each going to his (or her) cubicle and throwing on some pajamas.<p>

"Man, what a day THAT was, am I right?" Kim remarked as she took off her shoes.

"If ya say so…" yawned Clay, walking to his mat.

Omi was perched upside down on his head, just thinking. "I have _NO_ idea why the bemarun found Raimundo's bear toy so tasty…"

"Beats me Omi." Rai pulled his sweater over himself. "He had the stuffing in his mouth, but he didn't swallow it or anything. So I'd say he was either 'savoring the flavor' or just not liking it."

"I doubt any critter would like the taste o' _cotton_," Clay said. "And speaking of which, was it really so bad that we needed to stick the bemarun outside in the cold?"

Kimiko jammed her makeup into a tiny box. "Master's orders, what are you gonna do?"

"Yeah, at least it's not _too_ chilly out," figured Raimundo, itching at his nose.

* * *

><p>Back outside… on the ROOF of the lecture hall, the strange creature rested, gazing out beyond the walls of the temple. Its bright orange eye was unblinking as it studied the faraway land, the vast cosmos, and everything else out of reach. The wind started to howl – but then it picked up in a suspiciously unnatural manner. The bemarun moved its head.<p>

There was an amplifying roar that descended on the temple grounds. Then there was a _BOOM_ and a _CRASH_.

The beast sat up instantaneously and jumped off the roof, hustling toward the source of commotion. It swerved around the buildings and soon came to one it had never seen before: the Shen Gong Wu Vault. But a giant hole had been blown in its side.

* * *

><p><strong>Not too "actiony" here, but it looks like things are finally starting to ramp up. Hmm...<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

><p>When it had been frozen in its tracks long enough, the bemarun vigilantly wandered up to the hole in the wall, expecting danger. It certainly sounded like there was someone rummaging away inside, with all the clumsy knocking and clanging going on. But shortly after the noise had ceased, the whir of a machine elevated in pitch, and the investigative creature took a glimpse of a large robot hovering out of the opening. Yet even in light of that, what truly caught the bemarun's eye was an ever-lustrous copper brace – now dangling from the robot's greasy hand.<p>

As the machine rocketed up into the night sky, it chattered and paced the ground in a fret; the Brace was gone, and any hope for ownership of the relic had been lost. At the very least, the commotion had awakened the monks, who were now finally making their way outside.

Kimiko could barely open her eyes to assess the Vault breach, let alone stand. "…Are you KIDDING me. They can't even wait until daytime to steal our Wu."

"Which is why…" Omi droned, "We need to take back what is ours, even if it means thievery – " He slumped, too exhausted to give a motivational speech.

Raimundo came up and put a hand the bemarun, who was fussing up a storm. "Whoa, _whoa_, calm down! There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Well I'm understandin' why he WOULD be afraid; look at all this!" exclaimed Clay, stepping over some of the rubble. He then noticed a couple bunches of chipped black paint decorating the bricks. "What's more… I think we got ourselves a runt."

* * *

><p>The monks headed on inside, but not before awakening Master Fung first to evaluate the situation.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hmm, this is… most inconvenient." The Master climbed the stairs out of the Vault storage after inspecting every nook and cranny.<p>

"What, the wall or the Wu?" Raimundo asked, throwing in a bit of humor.

"Both," Fung plainly answered. "The Baberu Brace is gone, and its drawer was forced out and broken recklessly."

"This'd be the handiwork of _JACK SPICER_ then," stated Kimiko on impulse.

"Why the Baberu Brace? Why not any of the POTENT Shen Gong Wu?" Omi wondered, bemused by the illogic.

"Darn good question." Clay put his hand under his chin.

The bemarun stared down into the Vault, where the containment for the Brace had been smashed. It then started to growl.

Kimiko was bothered by the sound. "…That thing okay?"

"He wants the Brace," suspected her Texan companion. "…Obviously. Must be pretty valuable to him."

"Wouldn't hurt to bring him along and beat the tar out of Spicer. At least he'll get to see the Brace one last time," Rai reasoned.

"And we will do that… tomorrow!" concluded Omi, using up the remainder of his energy.

The bemarun still seemed unfathomably angry; it would not stop pacing around.

Raimundo was concerned about the distressed monster. "I think he wants it _NOW_…"

"WHAT. No way. Not in the middle of the night." Kim couldn't believe what she thought he was about to decide on.

But Clay agreed with his leader. "We'd get better shut-eye after pacifyin' him."

Kimiko gazed in the other direction, housing an inkling of dread.

* * *

><p>In Master Fung's bedroom, Dojo was sleeping quite peacefully on his fancy soft pillow. Little did he know that a couple of shadows were closing in on him.<p>

When a pair of tan hands reached down and scooped the dragon up, he awoke instantly. "Hey-hey! Don't disturb! Let me go!"

* * *

><p>Now soaring underneath the stars in pure darkness, Dojo grumbled through his yellow teeth. "This is. Such a. BIG. Waste of time."<p>

"Quit complaining already," said Rai with a yawn. "We're doing this is for Brownsaur." He pointed to the bemarun who was sitting in the far back.

"Yeah yeah, the BROWNSAUR. Always for the brownsaur…" mumbled the Chinese Lung to himself. He then took a moment to glance down. "Oh. Here we are."

The dragon landed on the lawn in front of Jack's house and shrank back after the monks dismounted.

Kimiko first kicked the basement window open and jumped through, next only to find herself standing on shards upon shards of glass. "Nice," she remarked, picking bits of the stuff from her shoe.

Clay entered the cluttered lair after forcing the garage door. "Ooo. Shoulda come _this_ way Kimiko."

She grunted in response.

"Huh, he's not here." Rai left the bemarun and an impatient Dojo just outside the entrance so he could investigate.

Kim flew over to the mechanic's computer. "…I'm gonna go ahead and check his quote-on-quote 'security camera.'" She whipped out her PDA, plugged it in, and got to hacking.

"What a sty of pigs…" observed Omi, blundering another term as he avoided obstacles of junk.

"Pigsty," Clay and Raimundo corrected almost simultaneously.

"Ah."

Kimiko was skimming through the video footage she had just uncovered when something caught her eye. She stopped forwarding it and listened closely.

"Hey guys, come over here."

The three boys walked up to the computer screen.

"Check it out. This parrot look familiar?" Kim pointed to Jack and the tropical bird, having a good "chat" with one another.

"Ever so slightly…" replied Clay.

"Well, it's saying something about a power plant called Greensgate. And it's in South Carolina."

"Could… that be where Jack went?" Omi speculated.

"Probably, cuz APPARENTLY he's been given instructions to bring the Brace over there for some ridiculous reason."

"Then, I guess our next stop is South Carolina!" Raimundo flipped back to Dojo, sitting out on the grass next to "Brownsaur." "You know where South Carolina is, _RIGHT_?"

"_YEAH_. But that's another thousand miles!"

The Wind Dragon stared at the regular dragon.

"…Of course, oh great Shoku Monk…"

* * *

><p>Slowly descending from the moonlit sky hanging above what else than the Carolinas, Dojo eventually located a massive, suspicious-looking building that was in the middle of reconstruction. A huge sign read: GREENSGATE POWER PLANT – ENERGY FOR THE FUTURE. As he made his landing, the site seemed completely void of any construction workers. Figures – it was midnight for corn's sake.<p>

"Wow, this is a weird setup they've got going on," Dojo observed as everyone disembarked by an old truck. He proceeded to shrink down to snake size.

"Okay, let's do a little plant-exploring," whispered Raimundo. He checked the surroundings. "Hopefully we won't get caught."

"Well you all can go ahead; I'm staying here to catch up on some _sleep_." Dojo discovered a comfy dirt pile and used it as a pillow.

The four monks exchanged looks. While the rest of them silently went onward, Rai had to motion for the timid bemarun to follow.

* * *

><p>Concurrently, stomping could be heard echoing throughout the inside of the dark plant. The racket was traced to a large black robot with a glass dome for a head. It was Jack Spicer.<p>

"HB…" his voice sounded. "I've got the Brace here. Ying-Ying?" As he continued to call out, the silhouettes of the monks picked up on him and whooshed along an upper floor that overlooked the plant's widespread interior.

Jack slowed his steps and halted. Looking around, he couldn't help but get the feeling he was being watched. He was about to cautiously take another step when, lo and behold, Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Clay came dropping down from above like ninjas.

The redhead stepped backward immediately. "AAH, you're not supposed to be here! This is private business! BAIL!"

Meanwhile the lingering bemarun was struggling to climb down the piped walls.

"Tsk, no can do. I reckon you took somethin' of ours," Clay spoke, adjusting his cowboy hat.

"Like our SHEN GONG WU," Rai added.

Next Kimiko examined Jack's armor, and laughed. "So is _this_ your new 'secret weapon?'"

Spicer looked down at himself. "Uh, YES! It's resilient like you wouldn't believe." He demonstrated by pounding on the robot chest. "Should take any of your explosion-inducing attacks."

"Then we shall test it and see," declared Omi, fumbling with his fingers as a way of preparing for battle.

"Uh…"

"Yah!" the Water warrior leaped forth and landed a palm strike on Jack's dome, then flipped on over it. The blow did not do as much as expected, but it gave Clay time to restrain the machine's right arm. Raimundo following up by kicking the left one, sending the Baberu Brace flying from the robot hand's grasp.

The artifact hit the floor and rolled within reach of the bemarun. After a second of uncertainty, it decided to quickly pick it up.

However, Jack swiveled his head, ignoring the Fire warrior who was hurdling toward him. "NO!" He took off before Kimiko could do any damage, forcing her to stop abruptly.

The creature was gazing at the invaluable object in its possession until the robot ruined the moment by grabbing it and trying to yank it back. But the brown beast refused to loosen its grip.

"Okay, I don't know what the heck you are, but you're not doing yourself any favors. Let go darn it!"

Then the Baberu Brace began to glow, and the monster quit pulling, if only briefly.

"Oh goody – Showdown time. …Sooo what, are you on their side?" Spicer pointed to the paralyzed monks standing behind him.

"Sort of…?"

The mechanic shot his face back at Raimundo.

"Can bemarun do Showdowns?" Omi asked his Brazilian teammate, who simply did not know the answer. Kimiko appeared to be pretending like this wasn't even happening.

"Um, we don't got any Wu to wager, anyhow," Clay informed in all honesty.

"Rrrgh, must you people complicate everything?" Jack cranked open a special compartment in his suit's chest and took out one of his few power objects: the Lunar Locket.

He threw the necklace at the bemarun's snout, and it fell to the floor with a rattle.

"I'M wagering my Tangle Web Comb. YOU, the Lunar Locket. Not like it's gonna help." Jack's voice turned into a self-contented sigh. "Now, how about a good-old-fashioned boxing match. First one knocked outside the boundary… loses!"

The creature opened its mouth but uttered nothing.

"Xiaolin Showdown!"

Their standing zone disconnected from the rest of the floor and arose. Blue laser ropes shot along the newly formed boundary edges, and a tower of poles, pipes, and girders built itself high up in a corner. The bemarun was on all fours holding on for dear life the whole time.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!" It took glimpses left and right, unknowing of what in the world was going on. The place was set up like an arena, and the four monks were nowhere to be seen. Before the creature could react, Jack dashed forward and rammed it, causing it to slide down across the floor and toward the laser boundary. It stopped right before its single eye came in contact with the barrier.

The bemarun recovered and brought itself up, but Jack definitely wasn't going to give it a chance to recover. He trudged over without hesitation and drew back his left arm to deliver a punch. Realizing this, the beast dove out of the way in haste, leaving the arm to pound the floor.

"Get back here!" Jack taunted, turning around. He then took out his Wu from the chest compartment. "Here's somethin' for ya."

"A giant manly robot wielding a comb. Of all things," Kimiko commented while she and the others were watching the action atop a tall turbine.

But Spicer was particularly focused as he aimed at the refuge-seeking monster. "Tangle Web Comb!" Thick strings of hair (or what appeared to be hair) stretched out and succeeded at entangling the target, stopping it in mid-run. It quickly looked at itself, all bound up, and reached down with its bottom jaw to see if it couldn't rip the stuff off. With this window of opportunity, Jack came in and grabbed the beast at both sides, planning to hoist it up and throw it around like a hapless training dummy.

As he started to lift the bemarun, however, it jerked its body forward in an almost involuntary manner and bashed Jack's safety dome in with its snout. The impact left the glass cracked, which also of course made Jack quite unhappy.

"Aah! Look what you just did!" While the mechanical genius was distracted by the damage done to his precious machine, the bemarun raised its legs and pushed off the robot's front, freeing itself from Jack's hold. It slid on down the floor.

"That's it, you're lunchmeat!"

Immediately the creature pulled up on its feet as it saw the robot tramping over. And off it ran before the thing could tackle it.

"Oof!" Jack's attempted lunge at his opponent resulted in him falling flat on his "face."

In the meantime, this gave the bemarun time to gather energy; so, with all its might it puffed out its chest and expanded its arms until finally it broke free from the hairy bounds.

"Hey, nice work there big fella!" came a cheer from above. The beast glanced up at Clay and the rest of the warriors, who were strangely dressed in blue and yellow attire. They'd been watching this all along?

This dazed the bemarun with a boatload more questions, though soon a fist came out of nowhere and struck its aching cranium back to focus, making it stumble over.

"…Maybe I should just zip my yap," thought Clay out loud.

"Yeah, you do that," Rai answered.

Still maintaining its footing, the creature noticed a bolted-down section of the floor below and proceeded to dig underneath the surface. Using superhuman strength, it ripped the whole metal tile out and used it as a shield against Jack's oncoming barrage of punches.

"Cheap… move… very… cheap!" spouted Jack, pounding at the shield. However, the bemarun felt itself being knocked backward with every blow, straight toward the waiting laser boundary. So before getting roasted it went ahead and threw the battered metal hunk at its rival, then made a run toward the skeletal tower in the far corner of the arena.

"Whoa, where're _YOU_ going?" Jack whipped around to see the bemarun heading for the tower's four support beams and then trying to climb it.

"…No ho-ho no, you're NOT getting away!" He stomped madly to the base and, with a pair of turbo-powered boot rockets, launched himself into the air.

The bemarun wasn't even close to reaching the robot's acquired height, yet it persisted through the metallic network unaware. It clawed its way onto a wide girder to rest momentarily; however, right on the other end it saw its high-tech foe waiting there for it.

"Just give up already." Spicer lifted the Tangle Web Comb. "I've got things to do, alright?"

The creature was pretty much at a loss as he lined his shot. But that's when it felt the metal beneath its feet and heard it creaking. Forming an idea, it made an instant jump and slammed down on the girder using all of its weight, which disconnected it from the intersecting beam. The bemarun's side collapsed, creating a steep incline. Totally unexpecting this, Jack tobogganed down screaming until coming in contact with his opponent, who then wrapped its burly arms around his waist and boosted him over its head. Warbling out something unavoidable to the ear, it threw Jack Spicer off the edge of the tower. The robot body bashed headfirst into a steel barrier post and plummeted to the floor much further below.

_BAM!_

Thus ended the Showdown.

After the environment returned to normal, the new "champion" suddenly found the Lunar Locket, Tangle Web Comb, and the Baberu Brace in its ownership. But it didn't bother to make a reaction; it had endured enough confusion for one night.

On the other hand, Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko and Clay were pleasantly surprised.

The Texan monk followed his friends up to the triumphant beast. "Well I'll be dog-gone!"

"Heh, yeah!" Kim then turned to the albino mechanic, who was weakly crawling out of his now-demolished dome. "Eat it Jack! Even something that doesn't know the secret Xiaolin ways can beat you!"

"Indeed, you are full of smelly waste products!" Omi giggled at his own diss.

Spicer replied by groaning indignantly.

Raimundo then flashed a smile of pride. "Come on guys, let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>As the warriors victoriously departed the area, leaving the sole loser to pick up the remnants of his hard work, a black-winged bird with a red crest flapped into view and perched on a high pole, gazing down, displeased.<p>

* * *

><p>The following mid-morning at the Xiaolin Temple, everyone congregated in the main hall to discuss what to do with their day. According to the Master, it was time for a second trip to Llama Land.<p>

"Yes, I know it has been a restless night. That's why I told Dojo not to wake you by the normal routine. But I trust you now have the energy to deliver the bemarun back to where it came from?"

"Right," Clay conceded with a slow nod. "Uh, 'course, only problem is we can't get him to give up the Wu again." He was standing with the big brute, who had stubbornly kept the Baberu Brace in its claws.

"We… don't wanna get on his bad side, especially after seeing what happened to JACK," tittered Rai next to the cowboy.

Omi folded his stubby arms. "Well it is not like we would still not be able to defeat it in battle."

"That is not to be debated Omi," Fung returned. "It _is_ necessary, though, that we find a way to coax our reptilian friend. Somehow."

"Without violence?" Kimiko already knew the answer to her question.

Clay glanced at the bemarun's Brace and thought hard. "…Say, how 'bout tryin' to talk with him? He's already got the equipment."

Raimundo gave him a perplexed stare. "Uh, Clay, only the Tongue of Saiping can work on animals, and we don't have that."

"Hm." Clay chose to brush off that point and quickly took hold of the Wu, reached up, and cuffed it onto the bemarun's neck.

"Baberu Brace."

The creature looked down and adjusted the glistening artifact, making it a tad more wearable. "You put this on _ME_?" it asked.

Everyone looked up, including Master Fung.

"Wow… it, works," Rai muttered.

"Howdy there!" greeted Clay warmly, now able to make conversation.

"…How-dy?" The bemarun then realized it was speaking English, a completely human language. "Oh, uh, this is great! I can talk to you! Whoa… I'm guessing THIS is what makes the thing so important, huh?"

Omi noticed the Brace was emanating a rather feminine sound. "Why is it speaking in a girlish voice?" He tilted his head.

"Maybe because she's a she," Kimiko answered amusedly, giving the little monk lowered eyes, lifted eyebrows, and a smile.

All except the bewildered Omi gathered around to speak with the creature.

"Well then, I think we're due for a proper introduction," Clay sniffed. "I'm Clay, and this is Kimiko, Raimundo… Omi, and Master Fung. Dunno where Dojo ran off to…"

"Yes, I'm Uarcay," replied the bemarun as easily as possible.

Master Fung then walked up to her. "Please excuse the lateness of this Uarcay." There was a hint of chuckling in his words. "Welcome to the Xiaolin Temple. I take it you've been 'active' during your stay?"

"Oh… yeah." Uarcay recalled what she had done in terms of her ravaging for food. Kimiko and Clay exchanged knowing glances.

Deliberately ignoring this, Raimundo broke the sudden silence with a whistle and clap of his hands. "Yep. Okay Master Fung, 'meal issues' aside, Uarcay got back the Brace from Jack and sent his big chunky robo-suit to oblivion. Now I say she's earned a spot here; we could always use some extra muscle."

"Wouldn't mind that a bit," Clay lightheartedly remarked, pretending to stretch. Kimiko slanted her mouth, but nodded in agreement.

Master Fung sighed and felt between his eyes. "The answer is still no," he stated. "And it has nothing to do with the food; we don't know quite where she lives and if she has her own responsibilities and a family that is worried about her."

"Guarding this item is my responsibility," Uarcay indicated sharply. "…And by family, you mean enforcement group?"

The monks stood there with puzzled expressions.

"…R-reason being, for a cycle I've been appointed to protect the 'Rimok.'" She pointed to the Brace. "Now that it's here…"

"…You need to guard the Shen Gong Wu," Omi realized.

"Huh?"

"Magical artifact things," clarified Kimiko. "That's all ya really need to know."

Slightly confused, Uarcay nevertheless continued. "Also I would _really_ like to learn about human traditions and, uh, overall lifestyle. Did you guys bring me here for that?"

Everybody looked over at Raimundo, who in turn tensed up a little.

"Uh… not exactly," he began. "But, I guess all I can say is sorry for calling you an 'animal.'"

"You called me an animal?"

"Sss, oh right. And sorry about THAT too." Rai awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and stared down, trying to make humor out of this in his head.

"It's fine. Really." Uarcay could tell how he felt.

Now Omi was persistent. "…Is it possible, Master? That Uarcay may stay? 'She' must fulfill her duties, but we need to as well, don't we?"

"By us BOTH preservin' that Brace," Clay resolved, flipping his index finger back and forth.

Kimiko raised and sagged her shoulders. "We're not gonna be taking it back to Peru anytime soon."

After some thought, Master Fung let out a long sigh, the kind that translates to "I give up." "All right, if you really must, then I suppose you can help us in guarding the Shen Gong Wu Vault…"

"Yeah!" "Fantastic!" Clay and Kim chimed; Rai and Omi merely smiled.

They then noticed Dojo slithering his way into the room, munching on a cookie. "Okay, what's the plan Monsieur Fung? We takin' back the gorilla-snake or what?"

"Dojo, she is going to be 'studying' here at the temple for a while. Uarcay, would you agree on that?"

"Yes," Uarcay replied. She turned to the little green dragon. "Hi."

Mouth full, Dojo stopped chewing, the cookie crumbs falling off his chin. "…_HMMMM?_"

With that Raimundo took the opportunity to laugh, and the others decided to join in.

"You seem _very_ ridiculous right now!" chortled Omi as he pointed at the reptile; and it wasn't just because his face was covered in crumbs.

"Wait, what's so funny? What'd I say? …Anyone?"

"…I _REALLY_ don't wanna be left hanging here."

* * *

><p><strong>Silly dragon, [insert witty line]!<strong>

**...Oh no, it appears we have an OC in our midst! (And there was much gasping.)**

**I know there are a few things left unexplained, like just what the hey Mr. Hannibal Roy Bean is doing chilling with immigrants in North America, or why he wanted to meet in an isolated power plant to begin with. It will all be revealed in time... and if it isn't, well, I guess I'm just a lazy bum then. **


End file.
